Great Commandment

Today’s Gospel Text:  But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sad'ducees, they came together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, to test him. 36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" 37 And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets." Matt 22:34-40

Reflection: What do you call this gathering together of the Pharisees as soon as Jesus silenced the Sadducees?

Isn't it this coming together of people against an injustice, apparently, perpetuated by Jesus a great sign of unity and love among these and that too for a cause?

Yes, it can be possible that Jesus was an unjust man, a false teacher according to these highly learned intellectuals, of whom one was a lawyer: which means a man well versed in the scriptures and the law of Moses.

And who will normally challenge known intellectuals and more so if they are in power?

In a way they were the democratic majority against the individual minority of the sacred Word of God; Jesus Christ.  

May be they looked at Jesus as that trickster who deceives the people and indeed they seem to have that special knowledge of the truth but they were not clear about its application.

What a question to ask? Only the intellectual and wise could answer the question?

It was like asking a spiritual question in a science class: what gives life to the body and if you answer it by your knowledge of science, because you are in a science class, you would fail the test, because the answer is never directly in the plane of ordinary thinking.

Similarly, the answer to the lawyers question was never directly in the Ten Commandments which God had given to the Israelites.

Though the Pharisees knew the answer or at least had an inkling of it, yet they did not seem to measure up to it.

This mystery of history keeps repeating itself and we could likewise have modern day Pharisees too, who could be well versed with doctorates and licentiates but may never measure up to the truth of the Gospel. 

Let’s be practical and seek to live out the commandment and not just know the commandment. 

Also let us never be deceived by those who would not like to know the commandment or faith and want to be purely practical and want to live the faith of Christ without knowing it.

Prayer:  Lord, even your foolishness far surpasses human wisdom; teach us to be wise in your ways. (cfr. 1 Cor. 1:25) 

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

Destroy

Today’s Gospel Text:  But the Pharisees went out and took counsel against him, how to destroy him. 15 Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all, 16 and ordered them not to make him known. 17 This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: 18 "Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he shall proclaim justice to the Gentiles. 19 He will not wrangle or cry aloud, nor will any one hear his voice in the streets; 20 he will not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick, till he brings justice to victory; 21 and in his name will the Gentiles hope." Matt 12:14-21

Reflection: I suppose that there is a difference between killing a person and destroying a person.  The Pharisees did not so much seek to kill but as to destroy Jesus (vs. 14) ( Gk.:.Apollumi = to destroy, annihilate, waste)    

One could kill a person and leave it at that; a mere killing causes death and the person is no more in pain or turmoil.  It is an action that is clear and one track, on target with intent to kill.

The reputation, the name, the lineage, may still remain intact.

But destroying could be a much more serious business and involves much more.

It could involve all sorts of torture with intent to annihilate all that a person is and has.

This could begin with the destruction of the reputation of the person and all that the person holds on to and may have now and may hold in the future, which also includes his lineage (that is, if Jesus were to be married) and may even involve cutting the person off from his roots.  

Hence it could be a process set in place to trouble, torture, persecute, despoil until it may finally leads to physical death or mental derangement, which is worse than mere physical death. 

As far as the law is concerned, there are many aspects of the process of destroying a person which can be beyond the reach of law.

The law may rarely look at the other forms of torture because, many a times, it is difficult to prove such crimes and in the process of being just could be more unjust.

In the gospel, we have the Pharisees taking counsel for the most heinous plot, which we see, could be much more serious than murder.

Such actions on the part of humans were not an isolated event but exists even in our days.

In such situations it would be unfortunate if Christian practice the same crime as the Pharisees, even after having seen such an injustice practiced on the very redeemer of theirs.

Prayer: Lord, be my help so that I may not be an instrument in any way that would bring about the total destruction of anyone.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

Take Mary Home

Today’s Gospel Text: So the soldiers did this. But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Mag'dalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" 27 Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. John 19:25-27

Reflection: No disciples at the cross except John and only the women, where did they go at this crucial moment when any human being waiting to depart would want them more.

Indeed, it was a crucial moment and at the same time a terrifying moment, because an innocent was killed in the most treacherous way, ever known to man.  

Who would want to stand next to a man who has been alleged to have committed one of the most grievous crimes? Who would like to be blacklisted, with the all powerful authorities bent on snuffing out a life that has been a threat to their ambitions and goals?

If it were only the Jewish authorities that were the cause of the injustice to Jesus and his companions then they could have gone in appeal to the pagan Roman authorities.

But it was not to be so, for even the Romans would want to cater to the Jewish sensitivities, which represented by the Jewish authorities. These Jewish authorities could abuse their position in getting a motley group to support their nefarious end.

In such circumstances the presence of the three Mary's and the beloved disciple at the foot of the cross was rather a bold step on their part, made possible with their love and absolute trust in their master, now crucified. It made them persist in being there at the moment of his ignoble death.

At the cross  new relationships are established, because it is a parting moment: "Woman, behold, your son!" (vs. 26)

It was like saying, woman you have the first say, God has blessed you with a free will to choose again, whether my word or your choice, if you accept him and the responsibility of discipling my disciple then I will announce my next plan.

Then he announces plan two, addressed to his beloved dedicated disciple: "Behold, your mother!" (vs. 27a)

Accepted, it meant taking Mary home with him: “And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.” (vs. 27b)

Prayer: Lord, we thank you for the gift of Mary, who not only said yes to bring you in this world as our savior, but also said yes to adopt us as her own. May we through her many sorrows find salvation.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

Woe to You

Today’s Gospel Text: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!

25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of extortion and rapacity. 26 You blind Pharisee! first cleanse the inside of the cup and of the plate, that the outside also may be clean. Matt 23:23-26

Reflection: The contradictions of life often make me marvel; we do or say one thing and in reality practice just the opposite.

If you thought that only a housewife could be spending on traveling long distance in order to avail of a sale offer and ultimately spend much more than what she would spend elsewhere, then you are mistaken.

You could call yourself a Christian and yet not live your Christianity in obedience to his voice, nor understand the tenets of the faith you claim to adhere to.

Or you could be well versed in theology and scripture and yet may not understand the basics of the faith.

In the light of the above, we can now read the woe that Jesus speaks to the Scribes and the Pharisees and reflect and see how it applies to us: “hypocrites! for you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!”  (vs. 23, 24)

For example; we have may have thought of justice only from one single window, which has made us look at the horizontal angle and even in that we may have acted contradictory and confused.

We could participate at rallies and seminars on bringing about justice in society and yet practice injustice in our personal lives when dealing with others, especially those who are subordinate to us.

Thus in both respects we have practiced injustice by forgetting the priority of God.

The greatest injustice, which is the reason for all other injustices is that of not seeking the one true God  and Jesus Christ who proved himself as our savior by his passion, death and resurrection. 

To talk about Christian love and not to reach out with the gospel of Christ, and seeking to only proclaim gospel values, is nothing but a betrayal of Christ, which demands the ‘woe’ of Christ.  

Prayer: Lord, may I not come under your curse and instead mend my ways according to thy holy will, wisdom and purpose.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

Love of God

Scripture: "But woe to you Pharisees! for you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. Luke 11:42

  

Reflection: Christian giving is well known and coupled with justice and love of God it becomes an acceptable offering.  There are few who give and generously give for God’s work without counting the cost. “These you ought to have done” says Jesus.

But to give tithe or practice justice without love of God is to give without being committed to God or to give restrictively. It is like doling out to a beggar on the street without any commitment for the uplifting of the beggar or their betterment. It could be from a selfish angle of assuaging one’s guilt of wrongdoing and injustice done to others.

A person who loves God is giving to God and his people more than any one can imagine. The giving here depends on the degree to which we love him. To love God and to walk justly is far greater than any tithe, not only in word but also in the quality of such an action.

Only in loving God is giving made perfect; for love perfects all giving.

Prayer:  Lord, pour out your love into my heart so that I may give of myself in total surrender to your will. (Rm.5:5; 12:1)

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us